Stickman's Escrima Blog

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Sonny Umpad

Joe Olivarez

Sonny and Joe with staffs ...

... and with knives

Joe introduces a student to the ground

Students with blades

Sonny's youngest student

Stickman: Escrima is a little known yet amazing Filipino martial art: beautifully efficient, wonderfully versatile, fun! It looks complex to the untrained eye, but it is easily understood, its intricacies revealed in simplicity. While it can be learned faster than almost any other martial art, it has depths that take a lifetime to master. From sparring with weapons to disarms and flowing sequential joint locks, there is always a challenge for both body and mind, a bit like chess with adrenaline. The flashing weaponry appears frighteningly dangerous, but the art is taught in a precise and methodical manner, and in fact there are fewer injuries practicing with sticks than most empty-handed arts. After all, the weapons block each other, as opposed to bruising body-to-body contact. This is a great art to grow old with, because it can be gentle for solo practice, invigorating with a partner, and effective self-defense against opponents who may be younger, faster or in greater numbers. For the same reasons, this is an art that can benefit women as well. This blog is for thoughts about training. Maybe it will be of interest to other martial artists as well.

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